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love_n act_n love_v soul_n 2,538 5 5.2551 4 false
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A96110 The upright mans character and crown. Preached in a sermon at Pauls before the right Honourable the Lord Major, and the aldermen of the City of London, March 29. 1657. / By Thomas Watson minister of Stephens Walbrook London. Watson, Thomas, d. 1686. 1657 (1657) Wing W1146; Thomason E1610_3; ESTC R204062 19,344 63

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heart is kept whole for God he hath not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Psalme 12. 2. an heart and an heart an heart for God and for sin God loves a broken heart not a divided heart * II. The upright man works by an upright rule There are many false crooked rules which the upright man dares not go by As 1. Opinion 'T is say some the opinion of such as are pious and learned This is a false rule 't is not the opinion of others can make a thing unlawful warrantable * If a Synod of Divines if an Assembly of Angels should say we might worship God by an image their opinion could not make this authentick and lawful an upright Christian will not make anothers opinion his Bible The best guides may sometimes go wrong Peter preacheth circumcision the very doctrine of the pseudo-Apostles Gal. 2. 11. Peter himself was not infallible the upright man is no adorer of opinion when the stream of Arrianisme swelled so high that it did overflow a great part of the world Athanasius did swim against the streame he was invincible in the truth * 2. Custome It hath been the custome of the place or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the Religion of our ancestors This is a false rule The customes of the people are vaine Jer. 10. 3. and as for our progenitors and ancestors a sonne may better take his land from his father then his Religion How many of our fore-fathers liv'd in times of Popery and stumbled to hell in the dark are we therefore bound to follow their blinde zeal a wise man will not set his watch by the clock but by the Sun 3. Conscience 't is saith one my conscience This is no rule for an upright man the conscience of a sinner is defiled Tit. 1. 16. conscience being defiled may erre an erring conscience cannot be a rule Act. 26. 9. I verily thought with my self that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus he who is interfector veritatis as Tertullian speaks even an heretick may plead conscience admit conscience to be a rule and we open the door to all mutinies and Massacres if the devil get into a mans conscience whether will he not carrie him 4. Another false rule is providence providence sits at the helme and disposeth of all events and contingencies but providence is not a rule for the upright man to walk by we are indeed to observe Gods providence Psalme 107. 43. whoso is wise will observe these things but we are not to be infallibly led by it Providence is a Christians Diurnal not his Bible When the wicked prosper it doth not follow that their way is good or that God favours them Gods candle as Job saith may shine upon their head * and yet his wrath hang over their head 'T is the greatest judgment to thrive in a way of sinne Dyonisius when he had rob'd the Temple and afterwards had a faire gale to bring home his stollen plunder See saith he how the gods love Sacriledge The Philosopher saith a calme is sometimes the forerunner of an earth-quake Hamans banquet did but usher in execution God may let men succeed that their judgements may exceed The upright man will not go by these rules but leaving such false guides he makes the Word of God his star to follow This is the Judge and Umpire of all his actions To the Law to the Testimony Esay 8. 20. The Old and New Testament are the two lips by which God speaks to us and are the paire of Compasses by which the upright man draws the whole circumference of his life The Montanists and Enthusiasts talk of revelations and some now a dayes of a light within them the canon of Scripture is above any revelation The Apostle speaks of a voice from heaven 2 Pet. 1. 18. and this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy Mount yet saith he we have {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a more sure word The Word of God ought to be more sacred and infallible to us then a voice from heaven III. An upright man works from an upright principle and that is Faith working by love Galat. 5. 6. 1. He acts from a principle of Faith * Hab. 2. 4. The just shall live by his faith The upright man 1. Hears in faith 't is call'd the hearing of faith Gal. 3. 2. verbum fide degerendum * faith concocts the word 2. He prays in faith 't is call'd the prayer of faith James 5. 15. David sprinkles faith in his prayer Ps. 51. 7. Purge me with hysop and I shall be cleane wash me c. in the Hebrew it runnes in the future {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Thou shalt purge me thou shalt wash me It is vox credentis the voice of one that beleeves as well as prays prayer is the arrow and faith is the bowe out of which we shoot to the Throne of grace a faithlesse prayer is a fruitlesse prayer Prayer without faith is like a Gun discharg'd without a bullet The upright man prayes in faith 3. He weeps in faith Mark 9. 24. The father of the childe cryed out with tears Lord I beleeve When his tears dropt to the earth his faith reach'd heaven 2. An upright man acts from a principle of love * Cant. 1. 4. The upright love thee Love is as the spring in the Watch it moves the wheels of obedience The upright Christian is carried to heaven in a fiery Chariot of love love doth meliorate and ripen every duty and make it come off with a better relish Divine love is like musk among linnen which perfumes it This gives a fragrant redolency to all our services A small token sent in love is accepted The upright love thee Hypocrites serve God formidine poenae only for feare as the slave works in the gally or as the Parthians worship the Devil that he should do them no hurt Hypocrites obedience is forc'd like water out of a Still by the fire The thoughts of hell-fire make the water of tears drop from their eyes The upright Christian acts purely from love * 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constraines me an upright soul loves Christ more then he fears hell * IV. An upright Christian works to an upright end He makes Gods glory his ultimate end his aimes are right Gods glory is the upright mans mark and though he shoots short of the mark * yet because he aimes at it it is accepted This is the question the upright man propounds to himselfe Will this bring glory to God he labours still to bring in some revenues into the Exchequer of heaven He prefers the glory of God before whatsoever comes in competition with or stands in opposition against it If life be laid in one ballance and